POPE

pope, Catholic Pope, Roman Catholic Pope, pontiff, Holy Father, Vicar of Christ, Bishop of Rome

(noun) the head of the Roman Catholic Church

Pope, Alexander Pope

(noun) English poet and satirist (1688-1744)

Source: WordNet® 3.1


Etymology 1

Noun

pope (plural popes)

(Roman Catholicism & generally) An honorary title of the Roman Catholic bishop of Rome as father and head of his church, a sovereign of the Vatican city state.

(by extension, now, often ironic) Any similarly absolute and 'infallible' authority.

(by extension) Any similar head of a religion.

(uncommon) A theocrat, a priest-king, including (at first especially) over the imaginary land of Prester John or (now) in figurative and alliterative uses.

(UK) An effigy of the pope traditionally burnt in Britain on Guy Fawkes' Day and (occasionally) at other times.

(US, obsolete) Pope Day, the present Guy Fawkes Day.

(Coptic Church) An honorary title of the Coptic bishop of Alexandria as father and head of his church.

(Eastern Orthodoxy) An honorary title of the Orthodox bishop of Alexandria as father and head of his autocephalous church.

(Christianity, historical, obsolete) Any bishop of the early Christian church.

(Britain) The ruffe, a small Eurasian freshwater fish (Gymnocephalus cernua); others of its genus.

(UK regional, Cumberland, Cornwall, Devon, Scotland) The Atlantic puffin (Fratercula arctica).

(US regional) The painted bunting (Passerina ciris).

(rare) The red-cowled cardinal (Paroaria dominicana).

Usage notes

In English usage, the term is originally and generally taken to refer to the bishop of Rome, although the Egyptian title is actually older. Within the Coptic Church, the Patriarch of Alexandria is normally styled Pope ~; within the Eastern Orthodox Church, their distinct Patriarch of Alexandria is formally titled "Pope of Alexandria", but usually referred to as such only in the liturgy and official documents.

Synonyms

• (Catholic) Bishop of Rome, Patriarch of Rome, Vicar of Christ

• (Coptic) Bishop of Alexandria, Patriarch of Alexandria

• (Orthodox) Orthodox Bishop of Alexandria

• (Pope Day) See Guy Fawkes Day.

• (bishop, animals) See their respective entries.

Coordinate terms

• (adjective) papal

• (office) papacy

• (rival) antipope

• (female) popess, papess

• (supporter) papist

Verb

pope (third-person singular simple present popes, present participle poping, simple past and past participle poped)

(intransitive or with 'it') To act as or like a pope.

(intransitive, colloquial) To convert to Roman Catholicism.

Etymology 2

Noun

pope (plural popes)

(alcoholic beverages) Any mulled wine (traditionally including tokay) considered similar and superior to bishop.

Etymology 3

Noun

pope (plural popes)

(Russian Orthodoxy) Alternative form of pop, a Russian Orthodox priest.

Etymology 4

Noun

pope (plural popes)

(US, dialectal, obsolete) The whippoorwill (Caprimulgus vociferus).

(US, dialectal, rare) The nighthawk (Chordeiles minor).

Anagrams

• peop., pepo

Etymology

Proper noun

Pope

An English surname originating as a nickname.

Noun

Pope (plural Popes)

Alternative letter-case form of pope

Anagrams

• peop., pepo

Source: Wiktionary


Pope, n. Etym: [AS. papa, L. papa father, bishop. Cf. Papa, Papal.]

1. Any ecclesiastic, esp. a bishop. [Obs.] Foxe.

2. The bishop of Rome, the head of the Roman Catholic Church. See Note under Cardinal.

3. A parish priest, or a chaplain, of the Greek Church.

4. (Zoöl.)

Definition: A fish; the ruff. Pope Joan, a game at cards played on a round board with compartments.

– Pope's eye, the gland surrounded with fat in the middle of the thigh of an ox or sheep. R. D. Blackmore.

– Pope's nose, the rump, or uropygium, of a bird. See Uropygium.

Source: Webster’s Unabridged Dictionary 1913 Edition



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Word of the Day

23 November 2024

THEORETICAL

(adjective) concerned primarily with theories or hypotheses rather than practical considerations; “theoretical science”


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